Reach for the Stars
by destielicwings
Summary: AU [Baby!Cas or Little!Cas & loving!Gabriel] Oneshot. Gabriel loves his little brother Castiel. One night, Castiel wants to touch the stars. - also published on ao3 -


Gabriel held the little baby close to his chest as he walked through the heavenly park. Castiel stared with big eyes up to him and smiled.

As the sun was gone the elder angel sat down on the grass and started to caress over Cas' hair. He giggled what made Gabriel smile, too, and he took him on his shoulders. The baby wrapped both his arms around Gabriel's head and laid his head down into the older's hair. At the feeling the archangel closed his eyes, because it was so much love the little one gave to him. So much love and although he had many other brethren he never had received so much affection from them but from Castiel on his shoulders now. His Cas. And he really was his. When Gabriel had no duties, he always was with Cas. He loved the company of the baby, so ludicrous it might sounded, but despite his age, Gabriel knew Cas understood far more than anyone would give him credit to. With his baby blues he always looked around attentively and when he looked at someone, you'd think he could see his soul. These blue eyes were the things Gabriel sometimes wished to never get older. The innocence shone so brightly, like his soul.

Or his wings. Castiel's wings were different. But special. Everyone made a face as they saw them for the first time. All but Gabriel. All thought of black as the most non-heavenly color but Gabriel thought they were amazing. The black couldn't be darker and they were _so_ fluffy.

With only one brother, the one on his shoulders, Gabriel could be all himself. No need to be fierce – the archangel, no need to be lethal – the warrior, no need to hide behind a mask – the trickster.

When he was with Castiel he felt like all the mistakes he made were forgiven.

He saw into the big blue eyes of this baby as they opened for the first time and he thought of the oceans, the skies, the worlds he had seen.

And this eyes stared right now up to the sky with all the stars it held. There were no clouds, not a single one and it was like the little angel's eyes – just the blue and the sparkles.

Pure.

Gabriel was pulled out of his thought by a young voice.

'Gabriel, why am I not able to touch the stars?' A tiny smile hushed flashed over the archangel's smooth face and he answered his curious brother.

'Because there are too far away, kiddo.'

He took Castiel back in his lap again. Blue eyes met golden.

'But I wanna know what they feel like.'

Gabriel thought for a moment.

'I could take you up, but..-' He was interrupted by the little one.

'Yes, please! I wanna touch them, wanna touch them!' And then he did the puppy eyes with this head tilting thing and Gabriel said yes. It wasn't like he had much of a chance. He _physically _wasn't able to say no when Cas did this.

Cas' face lit up immediately – his wings fluttered wildly in excitement – and wrapped himself around Gabriel. He stood up and spread his large wings. Cas' couldn't decide where to lay his in awe glimmering eyes so he switched between Gabriel's wings and the night sky.

He let out a joyful laughter as they took off the field. Higher and higher they flew towards the stars. But of course they never seemed to come closer. After a while of pleasant silence, the baby angel started to get thoughtful.

'Gabriel, I think we never gonna reach the stars, are we?' Gabriel wasn't even surprised anymore as he heard the question from his brother in his arms who seemed fat too young to ask such things.

'No, I'm sorry, kiddo. But I brought you here because I wanted to show you something.' The soulful eyes met his once again.

'What is it?' Instead of answering him Gabriel gathered all his concentration.

'Kiddo, hold on tight, I'm gonna let you go now, okay?'

'Got it.' Gabriel took his hands off Castiel and cupped them. Slowly but sure a light started to shine through his fingers and he closed his eyes in effort. Not because it was hard to keep it captured in his hands, but because it was hard to _create_ something. Especially something so essential.

Another moment passed and Gabriel opened his hands. Castiel gasped in surprise and awe. With wide open mouth and eyes he stared at the just created star. Gabriel handed it to him and the little angel took it carefully. It was slightly warm inside the tiny hands and shone bright, but not too bright to look at it. It was a comforting light. Gabriel smiled and a contentment overwhelmed him so suddenly he had to hold his breath for a second. He just made his little brother really happy. And that made him happy.

Finally he could give him something of the love he was given back.

Castiel cuddled with the star and held him tight to his cheek. His face seemed so at peace at this moment, like nothing Gabriel had ever seen before. And he had seen much.

Then he noticed the frown on Cas' forehead and he just wanted to ask what was up as the baby brought his hand with the star up in the air and let bright light go. It flew slowly up as though a wrong gravity would pull at it and Castiel followed it with his big blues. Gabriel did alike, in awe, too speechless to say something. As he gathered himself again he looked down at the angel in his arms.

'Why did you do this?' He asked with a warm voice.

'Because the star told me it was meant to be free. And so I let him free.'

Again Gabriel was speechless. Cas just smiled at him softly.

Then a vibrating tone in the elder one's mind interrupted this beautiful moment and he listened to the other angel's voices. What he heard then, made his just mended world fall into pieces again.

Orders were orders.

If he ever came back from his next mission, would Castiel still be alive? Would he be a good soldier? But the thought which broke Gabriel's heart truly was the fact that he couldn't be sure whether Castiel, the little angel in his arms with those unbelievable blue eyes, would even remember him then or not.

Would he be recognized?


End file.
